DefinePK

Abstract

“Shake Hands with the Devil” written by Lt. General Romeo Dallaire is academically an autobiographic account of the 1994 massacre in Rwanda in which 800,000 to 10,00,000 Rwandans were slaughtered in just 100 days. However, the book is actually much more than that a simple autobiography. It is a source of authentic information that leads its reader to a deeper analysis of the complexities of the role and challenges to a United Nations Peacekeeping mission operation. This book was awarded Governor General's Literary Award for Non-fiction in 2004. This is a worthy contribution to the literature of conflict resolution, peacekeeping, peace studies, genocide studies and international law. Further, this book contributes to the long going debate about changing role of the United Nations. The theoretical lineage of this debate can be traced to the legal framework and mandate of a United Nations Peacekeeping Operation under chapter IV of the UN Charter which is about the right to use force, particularly in the defense of civilians. The book is well written with a clear and straight presentation of the accounts of the genocide and its background.